Legend
by Darkneur
Summary: One boys quest to become the Sword Saint of Sacae
1. Chapter 1: Fateful Meeting

Chapter One:

Fateful Meeting

Guy sat down on the bench, rubbing his cold hands together. He sneezed violently. He was not used to this weather, in Sacae it had always been a mild and pleasant temperature. The winters were generally cool. He sighed, pushing away his homesickness, but his heart still ached to see the endless plains of Sacae; to feel the satisfying wind in his face. But instead he was stuck in the snowy mountains of Bern, many miles away from Sacae. He sighed again.

As he sighed, he noticed his reflection in a frozen pool of ice. He winced slightly as he saw the cut across his face, but it could be healed with white magic. His emerald green eyes glinted back at him in the frozen puddle. He had his long jade hair flow loosely over his back and a blue headband around his head. A golden earring hung from his left ear. It was his mother's keepsake and it was the only piece of jewelry he ever wore.

"Never knew you to look at your own reflection Guy!"

Guy yelped and jumped up drawing his sword, thinking it was an enemy. The person behind wasn't as so much startled by Guy's weapon. Instead, he looked more amused than scared.

"Put that down before you decapitate yourself with it, Guy."

Guy recognized who it was and breathed a sigh of relief. He sheathed his sword and glared at Matthew.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"If you had never tricked me in Pherae I wouldn't have to be here freezing to death!"

"What you're still sore at that? I thought we had an agreement."

"I had been starving for ten days. You were cooking meat." Guy said in an angry voice.

"Which I only gave to you if you said that you would serve me with your life if we ever met again," Matthew said in a cherry voice. "And we did meet again and because you swore the deal on your honor, then you are honor bound to complete the deal. The people of Sacae never lie right, Guy," Matthew grinned infuriatingly.

"You… I didn-… Arrggghhh!!!!!" Guy cried out in frustration pulling at his own hair.

Matthew watched in amusement for a few seconds before he decided to change the subject. "So what are you doing in the back lines today?" he asked. "You're usually up in the front lines seeking to prove your worth."

"And your usually in the far back cowering like a whipped dog," Guy retorted, still sore.

"Hey, I'm a thief and a spy," Matthew said cheerfully, shaking the snow out of his chestnut brown hair. "You can't expect me to run into an enemy army head on."

Guy rolled his eyes in exasperation and got up from the bench. He was about to make another sharp comment before he was rudely shoved aside. He nearly fell into the snow but balanced himself in time. He looked up in anger at who had shoved him.

"Hey you, what's your problem?!" he yelled.

The assaulter said nothing. He just turned around and gave Guy a cold stare. The assaulter's long raven black hair billowed around him in the wind, giving him an aura of menace. A bloody sword was held in his right hand. Inside Guy felt intimidated but he tried to put up a brave front.

Matthew spoke up, "Hey you're the new guy, who just joined us right?"

The person looked over at him and gave him a small nod.

"What's the name then?" he asked.

He didn't say anything for a few seconds and all that could be heard was the wind. Then, after a few moments he said his name in a very soft voice, "Karel"

The name sounded familiar to Guy but he dismissed the notion. Matthew continued to talk.

"Well Karel, here in this army we do things a little differently. First of all we don't go around shoving people, we say excuse me and if it's a woman you have to be extra courteous. Secondly, you must…" his voice petered out when he realized nobody was listening.

Karel was staring into the distance, like a hound who had sighted a rabbit. His grip on his sword had tensed. It was completely silent. Not even the wind blew, this time.

There was a fearsome cry behind Guy. He whipped around to see enemy soldiers appearing out of a nearby fort. Guy cursed and quickly drew his sword, but by the time it had left its sheath, one of the enemy soldiers screamed and fell dead to the ground. Blood was pooling out of him, making the snow a bloody crimson.

Guy looked around in confusion on what had killed the soldier so fast. Then he saw Karel standing in the middle of the soldiers. Guy blinked in bewilderment. How had Karel gone from here to the fort so fast?

Karel became a blur and two soldiers fell down, their backs having been pierced by a swift sword strike. The other two soldiers looked around in confusion until they spotted Karel. With a cry they charged at him, spears raised.

Karel neatly sidestepped on soldier and kicked him to the ground. He parried the other soldier's spear and slashed once at his neck. The soldier fell down making a retching noise and feebly grasping at his throat.

The other soldier was petrified with fear. His face had gone pale and he was trembling slightly. He pathetically tried to lift his spear off the ground. Karel slowly approached him, wiping the blood off his sword with his own hand.

The soldier gasped. "You-You're th-the Sword Demon!" he said in a frightened whisper.

Karel made no reply. He just stepped forward and lifted his sword.

"Wait! You don't need to---," Matthew shouted trying to stop Karel. But he was too late. With one swift slice, the soldier's head came rolling off his body.

Guy was sickened. Never had he seen someone killed in such a brutal fashion. When Guy was fighting his own enemies he tried to knock them out and if he had to, kill them in the most humane way possible.

He quickly looked away at the head. Next to him he saw Matthew looking pale but outraged at what Karel had done. He looked like he was about to yell at Karel until

Guy remembered something the soldier said.

Sword Demon

Guy was hit by realization. The Sword Demon, a mysterious person who was a master of the sword. He was a merciless killer but his form of the sword was unmatched throughout the land. The Sword Demon had defeated every one of his enemies, and anyone who was foolish enough to challenge him was killed.

Guy didn't know the Sword Demon's real name but he did know that he came from the Djute Clan, one of the three tribes of Sacae.

And now Guy had the Sword Demon right in front of him.

"Y-You!" Guy stuttered.

Karel didn't reply. He just looked over at Guy.

"Are you the Sword Demon of the Djute Clan?" Guy questioned praying that he was right.

Karel didn't reply for a few moments. Then, he nodded.

Joy flooded into him. Finally after all these months of searching, here he was. No more inquiring people at pubs, no more dead ends. He had finally found him.

Guy quickly went down on one knee and bowed his head. Behind him he heard Matthew say, "Uh Guy, what the heck are you doing?"

"Forgive me for snapping out at you like that, sir" he said addressing Karel.

"What do you want, pup?" Karel asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.

Guy bristled at the insult but kept his cool. "My name is Guy and I am of the Kutolah Clan."

Karel didn't say anything.

Guy continued, "You're swordplay is known all throughout Elibe. They say you are a one man army and can take on the entire Bern army by yourself."

"Hmph, if you believe all of that crap you certainly are a fool. I ask you again and I'm not going to ask one more time, what do you want, boy?" Karel growled

Inwardly, Guy cursed himself. So much for flattering him. He decided to lay down the truth. He lifted his head and looked him straight in the eye.

"Sir, can you teach me the art of the sword?"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Matthew raise his eyebrows in surprise but he kept quiet. Karel just kept looking at him with his frosty stare. Minutes passed by in silence. Guy's knees were starting to get sore. He was starting to feel impatient. He also felt foolish, bent up in the kneeling position for so long. Why wouldn't he answer?

"Hey what's with you?" Guy said in an annoyed tone. "Why don't you—

"Be grateful for you inexperience pup," Karel said in his harsh voice. "If you were stronger I would cut you down right where you stand. Fortunately you are weak, and I do not have time for feeble opponents."

With that he turned around and walked away, leaving Guy and Matthew alone.

Guy was stunned. "I…I don't…" he spluttered. Finally he exploded and yelled, "What's your problem?!"

Karel didn't even look back. He just kept walking.

Guy got up in disgust. He angrily kicked the snow and stomped towards camp, muttering under his breath.

Matthew watched him for a few seconds. Then, he sighed regretfully. He ruffled the snow out of his hair one more time and set off after Guy.


	2. Chapter 2: Teasing

Chapter Two:

Teasing

Guy stomped angrily into the tent, with Matthew following behind him. He flung himself onto his cot muttering angry words at the ceiling. Matthew wisely kept his mouth shut and sat down on his cot. When the angry mutterings subsided he decided to speak.

"Uh, Guy?"

"What?" Guy said harshly.

"Are you completely insane?!" Matthew asked incredibly.

"What?!"

"Are you insane for asking that man to teach you how to swordfight?!" Matthew asked.

Guy just turned around in his cot.

"Guy, that man is mad. I don't care if he is the Sword Monster, or whatever you call him. He killed that soldier in the most brutal fashion I've ever seen. And you hate killing people. How can you ask that madman to teach you?"

Guy didn't say anything, his back still facing Matthew.

"

Besides," Matthew continued in a gentler tone. "You're a brilliant swordsman. You don't need a psycho like him teaching you."

"I need him to teach me," Guy replied. "I need to become stronger."

Matthew sighed. Arguing with Guy was like arguing with a rock, he was just so stubborn. "Why do you need to become stronger?" he asked.

For a moment Guy didn't answer. Then he turned around and faced Matthew.

"When I was young," he began. "I was always pushed to the side. I was terrible at using the bow. All Kutolah tribesmen were excellent at using the bow but I was a complete failure. All the boys teased me, said I was a screw up. And even my family looked at me with disappointment. My father was one of the best nomad troopers there was. His disappointment was the worst. But then one day the tribe chieftain complimented me on my sword skills. Said I had a natural sword arm. Right there I found my calling. I needed to be one of the best swordsmen and then I could make up for the disappointment I was. I thought going on a journey would hone my skills but I found that the journey would take too long for me to become a swords master. So that's why I need to become stronger," he said. "I must become stronger to show them that I'm not a failure. I need him to teach me."

There was complete silence in the tent after that. Then, Matthew spoke up again.

"Well that's one reason. Care to tell me the other reason why you need him to teach you?" he asked.

"What?!" Guy yelled in disbelief. "I just told you all that you need to know, there is no other reason."

Matthew shook his head. "Guy, we've known each other for 4 months now. I can tell when you're hiding something from me. To redeem yourself to your fellow tribesman may be one reason but I know that's not the full story. You have another reason for wanting that mad man to teach you. What is it?'

Guy shifted uncomfortably all through Matthew's talk. He was quiet for a moment. His words were exact. Never had he known somebody so good at reading emotions.

"Well," he said after a while. "You're right. You have a right to know why."

"Which is?" Matthew prompted.

Silence hung down on them. Guy looked like he was in great pain.

"…The reason…" he said after a long time. "Why I want to become stronger is because…"

"Because?" Matthew asked, suspense killing him.

"Because… I need to… I must… av—

"Hello Guy, where were you all this time?"

A girl slightly shorter than Guy entered the tent. She wore a white robe signifying her as a healer. As she entered she carefully patted down her flaming red hair. Her emerald green eyes took in her surroundings. Matthew recognized her as Priscilla, a troubadour in service of the army.

As soon as she entered the tent, Guy seemed to forget he was talking to Matthew. He immediately jumped up and his cheeks turned a faint pink.

"P-P-Priscilla!" he stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were ambushed by a band of enemy soldiers. Did they cause you any trouble?" she said, smiling sweetly at Guy.

"N-No," Guy said looking away from her. "They d-didn't cause any trouble for us."

"Are you sure? Your face is all red and you're stuttering," she said worriedly. "Did you catch something out there in the weather?"

"W-What? N-no it's nothing," Guy said still looking away.

"Here let me see," she said, putting a hand on Guy's face and turning it her way. Matthew noticed as soon as she put her hand on Guy's face his cheeks went from pink to scarlet in a flash.

"Oh my, that's a nasty gash you have there," she said, noticing the cut on Guy's cheek.

O-oh that? I-it's just a scratch," Guy mumbled.

Priscilla smiled warmly at him. "I don't know how many times I've heard that before, but I can tell you; most of the time it's not a scratch. Will you let me heal it for you?" she asked kindly.

"Uh, sure. G-go ahead."

She closed her eyes and muttered a few words under her breath. A white light enveloped her hand and she touched the hand to Guy's cut. The gash instantly sealed up, leaving no trace of the former wound.

"U-uh, T-Thank you very much Priscilla," Guy mumbled, bowing slightly to her.

Another warm smile lit up on her face. "Anytime Guy. If your ever injured again just give me a call," she said walking out of the tent.

"U-uh, yeah," Guy said, watching her walk away into the snow. When she was out of sight, Guy gave a sigh and plopped back down on his cot.

Then, he noticed Matthew's mile long grin.

"Oh, no, no, no you got it all wrong! She's not—. We aren't—

"Does my peerless warrior harbor feelings for a certain person?" Matthew said teasingly, the grin, if possible, widening.

"M-Mathew it's not like that!!!" Guy yelled, mortified.

"Oh really, then what is it like?" Matthew countered.

"It's not… She isn't… Oh shut up!" Guy yelled, burrowing his crimson face into his cot.

"Ah don't worry yourself, I'm not gonna tell anybody."

Guy lifted his face up. "Really?" he asked.

"Well you'll have to excuse me if I laugh at you right now," he said, erupting into a string of hearty chuckles.

Guy moaned again and buried his head back into the cot.

All through the night he could hear Matthew's chortles.


	3. Chapter 3: The Sword Demon

Chapter Three:

The Sword Demon

Guy had finally managed to get some peace and quiet in the tent. Matthew had been called out for the night watch, so Guy was left all alone in the tent. It was quite boring but it was better than hearing Matthew's mocking laughter.

'I wonder if I she knows,' he mused. 'Nah, I bet she doesn't even have a clue,' he thought dismissing the notion. His thoughts went back to when he first met the flame haired beauty…

_3 months ago…_

_"Hyah!!" __Guy__ yelled as he swung his sword at the enemy. The axe fighter dodged the stroke and countered with a kick. Guy leapt back to avoid the blow… _

_But ran right into a tree._

_He grunted in pain as his back collided with the bark. His guard slipped._

_The brutal axe fighter grinned as he advanced on __Guy__. He swung his axe in a wide arc. __Guy__ barely had enough time to duck down. The axe cut the air and got imbedded in the tree. The axe fighter tried to wrench out the axe but it was too late. In one fast blur __Guy__ was up in the fighter's face and in the next second the axe wielder was out cold, his head meeting __Guy__'s hilt. _

_He leaned wearily on the tree. 'Stupid __Matthew__,' he thought. 'Why did he have to pop up as soon as I found a job?! Now I'm fighting against my employer' he thought bitterly. _

_Then, something tapped him on the shoulder._

_He yelped and jumped up pulling up his sword, thinking it was another enemy._

_The person behind him also jumped in surprise and backed away._

_Guy__ realized the person behind was no fighter. In fact it was a girl, and a rather pretty one at that. She was wearing a white robe, signifying her as a healer. Her staff was drawn and she had a worried look on her face._

_Guy__ then realized that he still had his sword drawn and he was in a battle position. He must've looked like an idiot he thought._

_He quickly sheathed his sword and mumbled an apology. "S-sorry for scaring you like that," he muttered._

_She smiled then and her warm smile made __Guy__'s stomach do a small flip-flop. "That's okay," she said. __Guy__ couldn't quite place her accent but he definitely knew it wasn't Sacaen._

_"Erm, what are you doing out here so far out in the battlefield?" he asked. Usually the healers stayed back and let the fighters do their work._

_"I saw you fighting alone against that person," she said indicating to the sleeping warrior. "So I rushed over thinking you would need help," she finished._

_"Well, I'm alright," __Guy__ concluded lamely. Why couldn't he think of something smart to say?_

_"But you have a cut on your arm," she said pointing to his right arm._

_He looked down. She was right; he did have a cut. It was small and not very deep. He must have got it while fighting the axe man._

_"That's just a flesh wound," he said._

_She smiled again. "Well let me at least heal it for you."_

_And before __Guy__ could protest she was right next to him and a slender white hand was put tenderly on his gash._

_She closed her eyes and muttered a few words under her breath. A brilliant white light surrounded the gash. The gash slowly sealed up._

_"There, all done," she declared opening her eyes._

_Guy__ looked in amazement at his right arm. This was the first time a healing had been done on him and he was amazed. Who knew that these healers had powers like these? Then, he remembered his manners._

_"O-oh yeah, thank you!" he said sincerely._

_"Not a problem…um…" she stumbled on his name._

_"Guy, my names Guy," he quickly put in._

_She smiled at him again. "__Priscilla__," she said in reply._

_"Catch you later then, __Priscilla__," __Guy__ said, a__ shy smile forming on his__ face. _

_"Don't be afraid to tell me when you're hurt, __Guy__," she said as she walked away._

_Guy nodded, and she turned around, a smile still on her face._

_Guy__ watched her retreating figure. Then, when he could no longer see her, he turned around and sighed__ happily_

_Joining this army was the smartest decision he had ever made!_

Guy happily recalled the good old days when he heard a noise. At first he dismissed the noise as the wind and continued his daydream. But it gradually got louder and louder until it got too difficult to ignore. The sound was like a whooshing sound like when you wave around a thin object quickly.

Guy's annoyance grew as the sound got louder and louder, finally after he could take it no longer he jumped out of his tent to stop the noise.

The noise was coming from a small forest near his tent. He quickly went by the trees and was about to yell at the person making the noise.

Until he saw the flash of a blade.

Somehow he managed to keep from yelling out. He watched in amazement at the scene before him.

Karel was in a small clearing in the forest. His blade was drawn and he was mock sparring. His movements were extremely graceful, like a dancer. He shifted from one stance to the next like fluid. His sword was a silvery blur.

All of this would have been fascinating if Guy hadn't seen the emotion on Karel's face.

His face was a stark contrast to when Guy first met him. Back there it had been a cruel and harsh mask. Here it seemed even worse. Karel's eyes were tightly closed and his mouth was in a pained grimace. He looked like he was in a great deal of hurt.

Guy was enraptured by the swordplay he saw. No wonder they all called him the Sword Demon. But then he started to get nervous. What if Karel saw him? He knew it wasn't a big deal; he was only looking at somebody training. No one was convicted if they saw somebody training.

Then again this was Karel, the Sword Demon.

He quietly turned around, in hope of getting back to the tent unnoticed.

"Where are you going, pup?" a voice called out behind him.

Guy froze, his nerves jangling with fear.

"Damn," he swore under his breath. No choice now, he was caught.

He slowly turned around and entered the clearing. Karel's face was back in its usual cold indifferent expression.

They faced each other for a few moments. After a few seconds Guy looked down. He felt like a rabbit that had been sighted by a hound. Trapped and doomed.

Finally Karel spoke up, "Why were you spying on me?"

Guy couldn't speak; his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth. He certainly couldn't tell him he wanted Karel to stop making a racket; that would just infuriate him. But just about when he was going to give up, he was hit with an inspiration.

"Master," he said going down on one knee. "Master, I have come here to ask you again to teach me the way of the sword."

He looked up. Karel still looked uncaring.

"Find somebody else; I don't have time to teach a young fool the way of the sword."

"Pleases sir, I implore you," Guy begged. "Teach me the art of the sword. I'm a quick learner and I won't be a bother to you, I promise!"

Karel started to look annoyed. "Why do you want to know the art of the sword so badly?" he questioned.

Guy hesitated; he certainly couldn't tell him his real reason. He made up one on the spot.

"I want my name to be known far and wide in Sacae, no Elibe! I want to be as well known as the Sword Demon."

Guy looked up at Karel. His expression had changed to one of disgust.

"When my name spread out through the land," he spat out. "Many worthless dogs aspired to best my swordsmanship. Every last one was more arrogant and overconfident than the last one. Each time they all fell to my blade, their silly dreams crushed to pieces, and their pathetic lives wasted. Tell me fool, what makes you think you're silly aspirations aren't just like theirs?" he said vehemently.

He didn't bother waiting for an answer. "Leave pup. Get out of my sight."

"W-wait!" Guy yelled. He had to make Karel see his views. He couldn't let his chance go right now! He had to, he must avenge them!

"You're looking for a good opponent right?" he asked quickly. He plowed on before Karel could interrupt. "Then, make me your opponent!"

Karel didn't reply. Guy took this as a good sign and continued.

"I know I'm not good enough to fight you now. But I swear, if you teach me the way of the sword I will become one of the best. Give me a year's time and I will be good enough to beat you even! I swear on my honor, if you teach me I will master the sword!"

Karel heard something in Guy's voice. The passion and the truth. He looked into Guy's eyes. They weren't boastful or arrogant unlike so many others he had faced. They were clear and true. This boy meant every word he had said.

"You seem to mean it don't you?" he asked after several moments of silence.

Guy sensed his chance. "Y-yes!" he responded eagerly.

Karel looked into his eyes for a few more moments before he sighed. "Very well, against my better judgment, I will teach you the art of swordplay. Tomorrow we will begin your training."

Guy nearly leapt in joy. He could hardly believe it himself. "Thank you, master!" he said going down on both knees and bowing his head down to the grass.

"But be warned," Karel said. "If you lie to me and all that you said before was faulty, I will without hesitation kill you mercilessly."

Guy looked up at him. "I promise you, I will learn the sword." He said with pure determination in his eyes.

Karel nodded. "Go," he said.

Guy got up and bowed once more to him. Then, he turned around and started to walk out of the forest.

"Wait," Karel commanded.

Guy turned around, a questioning look on his face.

"What is your name?" Karel asked him.

He answered at once. "My name is Guy. Guy of the Kutolah tribe," he said with a faint hint of pride.

Karel nodded again.

Guy turned and walked out of the clearing.

Karel watched him go. When he was sure he was gone he said, "Come out now, I know you're there."

A person took a step away from the tree they were hiding behind.

"That was most uncharacteristic of you, Karel," said a feminine voice. "Taking that boy under your wing."

Karel didn't look at his sister. "I sense great potential in this boy, Karla. He said everything with so much determination. I hope he turns into a good opponent."

She sighed, "Karel must you look at everyone as food for your sword? Can't you start caring about something else other than your destiny?"

Karel snorted. "I have no destiny. I have no life. I have no soul. I was condemned from the day I was born. Don't you agree sister? In order to protect everyone I had to kill the ones closest to me." He gave a sadistic chuckle.

His sister didn't reply.

Karel turned around. "I'm going back," he said walking out of the clearing, his sister's sad eyes following him.


	4. Chapter 4: Bet

Chapter Four:

Bet

When Guy knew his master couldn't see or hear him he gave a jump and a yell of happiness. Then he ran all the way back to his tent, eager to tell the news to Matthew.

"Guess what!" he yelled ecstatically as he entered the tent, not even bothering to close the tent flap.

Matthew looked up from the book he was reading. "Ah, there you are, Guy. I've been looking all over for you," he said looking a bit cross.

"You have?" Guy said in surprise, forgetting all about his news.

"Yeah. Lord Hector caught me trying to make off with his purse. When he caught me I said he doesn't pay me enough, but that just caused him to give me a lecture on why times were hard and the whole army had to pull together and blah blah blah."

"Serves you right for trying to make off with his purse," Guy said, grinning at Matthew's blunder.

Matthew sighed. "It gets worse, now as a punishment he wants me to oil the entire armies' armor. The entire army! Can you believe that?" Matthew cried huffily.

"My heart bleeds for you," Guy said his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Actually Guy my heart bleeds for you."

Guy looked at Matthew suspiciously. "Why do you say that?" he asked cautiously.

Matthew gave him an evil grin, and Guys knew from his experience whoever Matthew grinned at was going to be very sad in a few moments.

"Why Guy, I'm going to let you do the job!"

Guy snorted. "Yeah right, why the heck would I do your dirty work?"

"Because you still owe me three favors!"

"What?!" Guy jumped up in indignation. "Hey I've joined this army; I've paid back what I ate! I don't owe you anything!"

"Now Guy, have you forgotten? We agreed that how many pieces of meat you ate, that's how much favors you owe me. You ate four so you still owe me three more!" Matthew said slowly, as if he was speaking to a dim child.

Guy was getting angry. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Matthew."

Matthew's grin widened. "Don't try to play dumb with me Guy. It's all on the oath paper!"

With an exaggerated flourish he pulled out from his cloak an old and tattered parchment.

Guy's heart sunk, "You still have that after all this time?" he asked unbelievably.

"Never take it off me. Now Guy tell me is this not your signature right here?" Matthew pointed to the bottom of the paper.

Guy looked at the paper and lo and behold it was.

"So Guy, the men of Sacae never lie right? You still owe me three favors!" Matthew said triumphantly.

Guy was shaking with rage. "Y-you… I-I…" he couldn't even get the words out.

Matthew just smiled smugly.

The smile caused him to snap. "Argh!!! Fine, let's have a duel. If you win I owe you one more favor, but if I win my debts are cancelled!"

Matthew continued to smile. "Now Guy, why would I agree to that? You're obviously a better fighter than I am. It's stupid. I would lose."

"Hah you're just afraid you'll be humiliated!" Guy cried, taunting him.

Matthew sighed. "Guy, that's the oldest trick in the book. If you want I could lend you mine. I might actually teach you something."

"Humph! If you're a man you'll fight me!"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine you win. I'll take you on just this once. If you actually win I'll consider your debts nixed."

Guy was taken aback by Matthew's sudden change of heart. "R-really?" he asked warily.

"Yes, buuuuuut," he said dragging out the word.

"Oh great the but," Guy said sarcastically. "No I'm not letting you borrow Oswin's armor and I'm not going to let you try to poison me before the match."

"Relax, I just want to say that I get to choose the time of the match and I don't need to tell you when."

"Fine, not like that's going to help you. I can't beat off any attack you throw at me," Guy declared confidently.

"My, my somebody is brimming with over confidence. Remember my young friend 'Overconfidence is the greatest enemy,'" he said speaking in an old voice.

Now it was Guy's turn to roll his eyes. "Yes, Grandfather I won't forget."

"Good now that that's settled lets go get dinner!" and with that Matthew leapt off his cot and strode out of the tent.

Guy followed him with his eyes. When he was gone from sight, he muttered, "What a fool," and followed him.

Then a rather embarrassing problem presented itself.

"Where the hell is Merlinus?!" Guy yelled in exasperation. It had nearly been half an hour and he still couldn't find where the small, timid, man set up his tent. Merlinus gave out the armies rations every day. The problem was that he kept changing the location of his tent every few hours. The little man could never stay in one place.

Guy's stomach gave a tremendous rumble. This was embarrassing! He was just glad Matthew wasn't here to laugh at him.

"Um, excuse me are you lost, Guy?" said a feminine voice behind him.

Guy went red with mortification. He knew that voice. He turned around to see Priscilla looking rather bemused.

"O-oh, hi Priscilla, didn't hear you came behind me!" Guy said hurriedly. "N-no I'm not lost," he said answering her question. "We of Sacae are never lost!" he said with fake confidence.

"Then why were you yelling for Merlinus earlier then?" she asked, confusedly.

Guy swore under his breath. So much for his façade. And he had made a bigger loser of himself in front of Priscilla. How much lower could he get?

"Well actually I am lost. I can't find Merlinus, and I'm starving," he said shamefully.

She did something he thought was the last thing she would do. She giggled.

"That's okay. When I first joined this army I got lost really easily and I also couldn't find Merlinus," she said good-naturedly.

"Really?" Guy asked, his sprits lifting. Maybe he wasn't so much of a loser after all.

She nodded. "All the time, Rebecca or Fiora had to help me around for the first few days. If you want I could show you the way."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Thanks that would be a big help."

She smiled. "Follow me then," and with that she turned around and headed off in an eastern direction. Guy hurriedly followed after the slightly smaller girl.

"So Guy," she said as soon as he had caught up to her. "You're always talking about Sacae. I've never been there. What's it like?" she enquired.

Guy already had an answer at hand. He loved his homeland and could describe it in an instant. He started to picture it in his mind's eye.

"Well, the first thing in Sacae that strikes you is the plains. There practically unending in all directions. It's a beautiful sea of green. There aren't many trees or hills in Sacae but we don't need them. If we had lots of trees we would never be able to feel the warm dry winds. And you never feel lonely in Sacae. Even though the plains make you feel isolated, we Sacaen live in tribes, so it's never lonesome. It's a place of unbidden freedom!" he concluded dreamily.

He looked over at Priscilla who was enraptured by his description. "It sounds beautiful," she said after a few minutes of silence. "The wind, the plains, everything! And the way you described it makes it sound like a dream land."

"Thank you," Guy said simply. He was never good at receiving praise.

"Oh, I wish I could visit Sacae," she said longingly.

And before Guy knew what he was saying, his mouth blurted out, "If you want, when this war's over I could take you to visit the plains."

As soon as he said that, he cursed himself inside. 'Way to show your feelings, stupid' he thought. 'Why don't you stick a sign on your forehead that says "I like you?'

Priscilla's eyes widened in surprise. Guy thought she would start to laugh at him but he was surprised.

"Oh, could you really do that for me?" she asked.

Twice in the same day, Guy's spirits rose. "Sure, I'd like to show you all the wondrous sights!"

Priscilla smiled happily and before he knew what was happening she had put her arms around Guy and given him a warm hug. "Thank you so much, Guy," she said elatedly.

Guy's face had turned extremely red. "Uh s-sure, no p-problem," he stuttered.

Priscilla disengaged from him still smiling warmly. Then, she looked around. Guy also looked around and was surprised to see that they were already at the food tent. He could see Lowen dishing out food for the troops.

"Oh, that was unusually fast," exclaimed a rather bewildered Priscilla.

"Well anyway, thanks for helping me here Priscilla," Guy said, hoping his face had lost it's crimson tinge.

"What? Oh yes." Priscilla said as she came back to earth. "I enjoyed talking with you Guy." She said with complete sincerity in her eyes.

"Yeah, me too," Guy replied, also putting sincerity in his voice.

She smiled. "See you around later, Guy," she said turning around.

Guy smiled as she walked away. When she was out of sight, he sighed and slowly sat down on a bench savoring their talk. He felt like the luckiest man in the world!

That is until he noticed Matthew on the other side of the table grinning triumphantly at him. His smirk was so wide Guy could see his molars.

"So, Guy," he said smugly. "Hugged anyone lately?"

"MATHHEW, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!!!"


	5. Chapter 5: Surprise!

Chapter Five:

Chapter Five:

Surprise!!

A few hours after the terrible dinner, Guy was back in his tent (after chasing Matthew for the past few hours around the whole camp.) As soon as he got back to his tent he went straight to his cot and fell into a dead sleep.

But also a troubled sleep.

He was having the nightmare again. He had had it countless times before and they were always worse.

In his mind Guy was back at his home in Sacae. At first he couldn't believe it but when he felt the wind on his face and the smell of fresh grass, he was completely immersed in his dream.

The sun was high up in the sky and there were little to no clouds in the sky. The azure horizon had him enchanted in and instant. The grass rippled like an ocean at the most slightest breeze.

In the distance, he could see his family's ger. He raced over there, hardly able to tell them of his adventures while he was gone. He couldn't wait to tell his father how much he had improved in his sword skills.

As close as the ger seemed, Guy could never get close to it. He kept running and running and it still looked like he was in the same place. The sky went from sapphire to the red at dusk. The grass around him withered and died, all brown and crispy.

Finally, Guy was at the entrance of the ger. He was hit by a sudden sense of foreboding. Where had all the noise gone? Usually he could hear his sister talking or his mother making food or anything. Instead it was dead quiet. Not even the wind blew.

A crow cawed in the distance, startling him. Then he noticed the color of the tent flap. Was it really that crimson or was it the setting sun's light?

With a shaky hand and a pounding heart, Guy slowly grabbed the ger flap. His breathing was shaky, he gripped the flap. Then with a violent motion he pulled down.

His eyes widened, his breath now coming out in quick gasps. Then he slowly opened his mouth and…

Guy woke up gasping. Then he realized that he was in his tent. He changed his gasps into a sigh and sat up, wearily rubbing his eyes. He put a now firm hand over his eyes.

"Why must you haunt me so?" he asked himself softly. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

There was a rustle behind him.

Guy whipped around, throwing a punch a punch blindly…

And his face met with a flash of bronze.

He fell, asleep before he even hit the ground. This time he slept dreamlessly.

Guy woke up with a splitting headache and a sore nose.

"Ow," he muttered as he gingerly sat up. He tenderly touched his nose. As expected, a sharp pain coursed through his head as soon as he touched it.

Yep, most definitely broken.

His mind was hazy from last night. Guy tried hard to remember why his nose hurt so much. The splitting headache didn't help. He had dinner and went back to his tent. He woke up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare and then… and then…

Guy sat bolt upright. He had been attacked! Somebody had tried to kill him! He needed to tell the lords at once.

Guy got out of bed, not caring that he was only wearing his night clothes. As soon as he got up his headache worsened and he had to take a few deep breaths to make the world stop spinning. Then, he quickly opened his tent flap.

The sun seemed unusually bright today. Guy had to squint like a mole to look through the blinding glare.

"Hey Guy, why are you out in your night clothes?"

Guy turned around to see Matthew walking nonchalantly towards him with a piece of toast in his mouth.

"Matthew, listen to me," Guy said quickly, grabbing his collar. As soon as he grabbed him though, his headache intensified. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he was ready he continued.

"Somebody tried to kill me in the middle of the night, Matthew!" he said, but he said it so fast it sounded like he was babbling.

Matthew lifted an eyebrow, he looked amused. "Really now?" he said indifferently.

"Matthew I'm serious! Somebody attacked me in my sleep, and I have a headache and broken nose to testify for me!" Guy said, angry that Matthew wasn't taking him seriously.

"You weren't exactly asleep were you? You had a pretty scary nightmare from what I heard."

"Matthew, forget about my nightmare!" Guy replied heatedly. "We have to warn Lord Eliwood, and Lady Lyndis, and— he stopped realizing something Matthew had just said.

"Wait a minute, how did you know I had a nightmare?" he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at Matthew.

Matthew grinned albeit sheepishly. "I'm sorry about your nose Guy; I didn't mean to break it."

Guy lunged for Matthew, tackling him to the ground. The toast flew out of his hand and landed on the ground. He furiously grabbed Matthew's neck and gripped on tight.

"Matthew, what the hell were you thinking?! Attacking me in the middle of the night?!" he asked furiously.

Matthew answered, "Aghh…Ugah…Oaahh."

Guy loosened his grip slightly, but not enough for Matthew to like it.

"Guy you need to lighten up," he said when he had gotten sufficient enough air into his windpipe.

"Lighten up?!" Guy repeated angrily and bewilderedly. "You just tried to kill me and you tell me to lighten up?!"

"Guy, a frying pan never killed anyone before."

Now this time Guy was confused. "You hit me with a frying pan?" he asked dumbly.

"Yup, I borrowed one form Lowen. I just wanted to win the oath paper but you just happened to wake up at that time."

Guy was still confused. "What oath paper?" he asked.

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Duel, stakes, oath paper," he said simply.

Then Guy remembered. "Oh yeah, the oath paper," he said. "Wait a minute, you attacked me with a frying pan in the middle of the night because of the oath paper?" he asked perplexedly.

"Yep, and I won. Tell you the truth Guy, you weren't much of an opponent," Matthew responded gleefully.

"What the—Matthew you attacked me in my sleep just to get something as trivial as that?" Guy asked furiously.

"Hey we 'greed on it. If I beat you in a duel, then you would owe me the favors. You didn't put up much of a resistance. Then again, snoring opponents never give much resistance," Matthew remarked.

"But you can't just—it's not— Guy couldn't speak, so great his anger was.

"Hey, it's not my fault you let me choose the time of our duel. You were way too overconfident, matey!"

Guy found his hand's creeping towards Matthew's throat again.

Matthew must've saw them too because he said, "Whoa now Guy, I thought you said that the people of Sacae never lied. How do you expect to be a great warrior if you can't even handle one simple surprise attack?"

Guy's anger reached the tipping point. He was about to choke him again when suddenly the anger left him. His shoulders slumped dejectedly. Matthew was right; he had let him choose the time of their fight. He had been too overconfident, thinking the thief would never make up the nerve to challenge him.

"Hell Matthew, what have you got yourself in this time?" said a rather irritated voice from above.

Guy and Matthew both looked up to see Matthew's lord, Hector standing in front of them. He wore a rather large amount of armor on his bulky body and he had a broad axe strapped to his back. His eyes were narrowed in annoyance at Matthew.

"Hey, Guy, I know Matthew's a pain in the rear end, but I'm short of vassals right now and I appreciate it if you didn't strangle him," Hector said.

Guy reluctantly got off Matthew and helped him up.

"Well, now that that's over, you owe me three favors," Matthew said happily. Guy glowered darkly at him.

"Alright you two break it up," Hector said exasperatedly. "Matthew go meet me in Eliwood's tent, we need to talk to you about something. Guy, for Elmine's sake put on some clothes."

Guy went red with embarrassment when he realized that he was still in his night clothes. He scowled darkly at Matthew one more time. "I'll get you," he muttered sinisterly.

Matthew was unfazed. Instead he replied, "Don't you have an appointment with that Karel guy today?" he asked.

Guy jumped. He had completely forgotten! He quickly ran back into the tent and threw on some clothes. When he stepped out, Matthew and Hector were gone

A sudden thought hit him. He hadn't had breakfast yet. The last time he had skipped a meal he nearly starved to death. He pushed the thought out of his mind; there were more important things at hand.

He ran to the small forest behind his tent, the place where Karel had agreed to train him. As he ran, a tree branch whipped his cheek, stinging like hell. But he continued on, determined to start the training.

Finally, he ran into the clearing, gasping and sweating. Skipping breakfast had not been a good idea.

"You're late, pup," said a familiar voice in front of him.

Guy kept his eyes on the ground, in reverence to him. "I'm sorry master, I was held up by my tent mate," he said.

"Already making excuses, I see," said a feminine voice from above.

Guy looked up in confusion. Who had said that?

Soon his question was answered. From a nearby tree a person dropped.

"Guy, I'd like you to meet my sister, Karla. Karla this is my pupil, Guy," Karel said indifferently.

"I'm honored," Guy said bowing in her direction.

He could see the resemblance in the two. They both had the same long raven black hair, and the both had the same piercing gray eyes. But Karla's face seemed slightly softer than her brother's harsh face. She wore a dress commonly worn by the people of the Djute clan, a gray shirt with an equally gray dress, with modest vents at the side. She had a curved sword strapped to her waist.

"Brother this is a waste of time," said Karla to her brother. "It's obvious that this little boy is hardly better than average. Look at him, he's already panting from running.

Guy bristled at the insult. Who did she think she was talking to, a child? Instead, though he bit his tongue and asked his master, "Sir, what are we going to do today?"

"I must first gauge your experience so far, so I have asked," here Karla glared at her brother. He ignored her and continued, " so I have asked, my darling sister here to test you of your current abilities. You two will duel."

"Why can't you just test me yourself?" Guy asked confusedly.

"Because he doesn't need to," Karla said snottily. "You're obviously out of his league. If you fought him he'd most likely end up killing you. I won't kill you but I probably will leave you for the worst."

Guy was starting to seriously dislike Karla now.

Karel looked bored. "Guy if you please, stand over there," he said, pointing to a tree a little to the left of him.

Guy complied, drawing out his sword as he did so. He turned around and faced Karla, getting in a battle stance.

"Will see who is the better one, soon," Guy thought vindictively. He couldn't wait to wipe the confident expression on her face.

She drew out her sword but she held it laxly in her left hand. She hadn't even lifted it. Guy's anger intensified and he gripped his sword tighter.

They stared at each other for a long time, his emerald eyes glaring at her gray ones. The clearing had gone silent, nobody moved. Even the animals seemed to sense the tenseness of the situation. Karel stood to the side, his face impassive. A small breeze whipped up everyone's hair.

Suddenly, a bird burst loudly out of the trees, cawing loudly as it went. Guy jumped, startled, his concentration broken. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Karla tense up and come at his as a blur.

"IDIOT," he thought as he quickly blocked her lunge. He caught a look of surprise on her face before she backed away. Then as another blur she attacked him from the side. Guy barely sidestepped her stab. He leapt back from her slash, but the tip of her sword grazed him, tearing off some cloth.

'I can't keep dodging, I need to go on the offensive,' he thought desperately. He parried her next slash and tried to stab her. His thrust was too overzealous. He may have well been trying to stab air because one moment she was there, the next she was gone. He nearly tripped but righted himself at the last moment.

Suddenly, he heard a swooshing sound behind him. He whipped around, his jade hair getting into his face. He scarcely had enough time to block her strike. Again he saw a surprised look on her face. She leapt back, this time with a wary look on her face.

'Damn it,' he thought, angrily. 'I can't go on the offensive or the defensive, so what the hell am I going to do?' he thought urgently. The answer came to him like a bolt of lightning. 'I need her to make a mistake,' he thought.

He began to act tired and desperate, his breaths coming out in short gasps. She sensed her opportunity and attacked him viciously. Guy stalled until the very last moment to block her. Still, her stroke came very close to cleaving off his head.

He continued to play the charade as she grew more and more confident. Her strokes became sloppier as she sensed victory was not far off. He stalled until the very last moment to block her attacks but that was still dangerous. One stab grazed his arm and stung continuously.

Then he pretended to collapse to one knee, lowering his head and breathing heavily. He saw her walk over to him slowly and confidently. Then when she reached him she raised her sword over her head, leaving her whole body open to an attack. Guy took the opening and quickly leapt up and stabbed at her stomach, sensing his victory.

His sword met with her sword.

'SHIT,' he thought angrily. He had blown his chance of winning. He tried to cover up his mistake and attacked her again, but before he knew it she had grabbed him from behind and positioned her sword around his neck.

'I win,' she said coolly. Guy gripped his sword tighter in anger. He inwardly cursed himself for being such an idiot and cursed her.

Then, she did something surprising. She let go of him. He spun around expecting another insult, but instead she sheathed her sword and bowed.

"It seems I was mistaken by you," she said. "You are certainly a good fighter. I can see why my brother is interested in you." She straightened up and looked him in the eye. "You have earned this warrior's respect."

Guy was left bewildered. Even though he had lost, he felt like he had at least won this battle. He quickly bowed back at her. "This was a good fight even though I lost," he said respectfully. "I am honored to have fought you."

She simply nodded at him. Then she turned around addressing her brother. "If that's all brother, I must be gone. I have another appointment with another warrior who would just love to best me," she said unperturbedly.

Karel nodded. "Go," he said simply. Karla turned around and once more bowed at Guy. Then she left the clearing. Guy watched her go. She was certainly filled with surprises.

"Well, I must say, I had doubts about you first," Guy turned around to face his master. "But I admit you handled yourself well enough against her," Karel said. "I think you will be a most worthy opponent once I'm done training you."

Guy bowed, humbled. This was the first compliment his master had paid him.

"We will start with your real lessons tomorrow," Karel continued. "In the mean time you'd better rest up because my training is what you could call…" he paused searching for the word. "Unmerciful," he finished.

Guy was disappointed. He was hoping he could start his training right away. Instead he swallowed his disappointment and turned to leave.

"Oh yes, I forgot," Karel said. Guy turned around again. "Before tomorrow's lesson I want you to cut your hair."

"What?!" Guy yelled appalled. Cut his hair? It was one of his best prides. "B-But sir," he stammered. "W-Why do I need to cut it?"

"Because, your hair will only get in the way while you are fighting an enemy. You don't need another hindrance on the battlefield," he said apathetically.

"B-but sir," Guy said trying to find an excuse. "Your hair is just as long as mine. In fact it's longer. Why do you not need to cut yours?"

"I believe we were talking about your hair not mine," Karel responded coolly. He turned around walking out of the clearing. "Do not forget, I want that hair cut by tomorrow," he called out to him, unsympathetically, leaving a perplexed Guy all alone in the clearing.


End file.
